Sunday, January 27, 2013

One of my 1st Pinterest inspired dinners. This could become a staple in our home. I could see this as a great thing to make for game day/Super Bowl as well. I halved the recipe below and it turned out great.

I wanted to blog this so I remember it. I made this salad on a Sunday and had it for lunch the first couple days of the week. It was perfect! I'll certainly make again. Especially in the summer with fresh veggies!

Quinoa Salad

Combine 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups water.
Boil then turn on low and simmer for 15 minutes with a lid.

Combine all dressing ingredients through the vinegar in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Whisking constantly, slowly pour olive oil into the vinegar mixture in a steady stream. Pour over salad and toss to combine.

PJ Chang's Lettuce wraps have always been something I've enjoyed. I've been trying to find a suitable replacment for home. This is the best I've found yet. Easy. Healthy. Quick. My non-mushroom eating husband even loved them (I chopped the mushrooms up into oblivion!)

Directions

For the filling: Brown the turkey in the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Add the mushrooms, scallions, garlic and water chestnuts, and cook until the mushrooms soften. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, brown sugar and vinegar, pour over the turkey mixture and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

For the drizzling sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, honey, mustard, Sriracha, sesame oil and 1/4 cup water.

Serve the turkey mixture with the lettuce leaves, drizzling sauce and vegetables for lettuce wrap assembly.

I got the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook for Christmas. I am committed to trying a new recipe from it frequently. It is a beautiful cookbook with many great/different recipes. The buttered popcorn cookie was my first one from this book. So, they turned out perfectly. They weren't our favorite cookie.... (anything devoid of chocolate typically falls a peg..) but I can see me making them again. For a kids party, a movie night, etc. They are fun and different.

Buttered Popcorn Cookie
Source: Smitten Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil1/3 cup popcorn kernels1/4 teaspoon table salt1 tablespoon melted butter1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened1/2 cup packed light brown sugar1/3 cup granulated sugar1 large egg, room temperature1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon baking sodaDirectionsTo make the popcorn: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan until hot. Add the kernels, and cover, shaking the pan to make sure all the kernels are in contact with the bottom of the pan. As soon as you hear the first few kernels pop, shimmy the pan until all of the kernels pop (5 minutes or so). Remove from heat, add melted butter and salt, and transfer to bowl.

Dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until smooth. Whisk flour and baking soda together. Stir flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture, until combined. Fold in popcorn, making sure to get dough well distributed. It’s okay if the popcorn breaks as you’re mixing, and don’t worry if it seems like there's too much popcorn for the amount of dough. It all works out in the end.

Bake: Roll dough into mounds the size of a golf ball or slightly bigger. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, making sure to leave a 2 inch gap between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Let cool for a minute or so on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

About Me

I am a late 30something, new mom, trying to find the balance in cooking, entertaining, eating healthy... you know the things which so many balance! I loves when I find the occasion or some time to cook! This started as a place for me to organize recipes I like but am glad it's transpired that others enjoy it as well!